@that1starfish Ugh. A lot of ignorance out there. The exact opposite is true. And most people don’t know what real socialization is- and it’s not about playing with other dogs!
@that1starfish I agree. I have tried it. It's a hit or miss. I have 2 papillons and they always bark at other dogs, mostly other smaller dogs. I have had situations when the owners of the other dogs are comfortable with them meeting but it's not always the dreamy scenario people picture. First of all my dogs are worked up, they're pulling to see the dog but barking at it. The most reactive of my 2 dogs would then get close, smell the dog and decide he still doesn't trust it and continue to bark while the other one is still smelling it. Now, IF the other dog barks back at them as they get closer, then all hell breaks loose and you need to pull them much harder to get them away. This latter interaction would leave me and the other owner sad and disappointed as we have both fallen victims to the myth.
@that1starfish My lab was a dominant female who was very work oriented (she was from a long line of prized duck hunters), especially when it came to fetch at the dog beach. So if any dog got in her way, she attacked. Never draw blood or injured any dogs, it was all show. The main reason other than her dominance, was many dogs, even if they are nice are not socialized well. Dogs are suppose to smell butts first instead of getting close to the face, which is only a human thing. My dog took this as aggressiveness. I would say, I know this is against the post opinion, but if your dog is fear aggressive, I highly recommend getting a trainer. It’s very expensive and is a life time of work, but it’s worth it as fear aggressiveness can cause your dog unnecessary stress. Exposure therapy like what is recommended by idiots doesn’t help.
@that1starfish The people who say this have never had a reactionary dog. The most I’ll do is walk him outside the fence of a dog park to get sniffs and people ask me why I don’t bring him im
@that1starfish I hate this mentality! As someone with pretty mellow dogs (senior and young beagle) who are very friendly, I do NOT let them interact with just anyone/any animal. You never know how the other dog will react and it takes one bad experience to completely break down a dog that originally had little to no reactivity. Instead of “socialization” it should be focused on neutralization. You don’t need your pet to say hi to everyone to make them pet/people “friendly”, it can do the exact opposite.
@that1starfish I’m so tired of hearing it. I have a Dalmatian and people have this stupid misconception based off Disney cartoons - that they’re automatically these happy go lucky dogs that you can come up and pet unannounced and that they should just be these perfect overly friendly dogs - and it’s just not true in my case
I’m tired of feeling like a failure when I’ve spent thousands in training and still am actively working with him everyday - just to be told this
